Chapter 21 of Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born. —Shakespeare. Infamous wretch! So much beneath my scorn. —Dryden.
Chapter 21 of Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife
From this reading “THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.”
the outstanding poet and dramatist of the Restoration (1631-1700)
From this reading “—Dryden.”
plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.”
known widely and usually unfavorably
From this reading “Infamous wretch!”
plural of “orphan” — a child who has lost both parents
From this reading “THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.”
unaffected by time
From this reading “THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.”
an old form of “were”, used with “thou”
From this reading “THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.”
possessive form of “widow” — a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading So much beneath my scorn.
brought into existence
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
the outstanding poet and dramatist of the Restoration (1631-1700)
From this reading —Dryden.
at any time
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
the organ of sight
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
known widely and usually unfavorably
From this reading Infamous wretch!
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
the force of workers available
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading So much beneath my scorn.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading So much beneath my scorn.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
plural of “orphan” — a child who has lost both parents
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading So much beneath my scorn.
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading —Shakespeare.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So much beneath my scorn.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
unaffected by time
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
an old form of “were”, used with “thou”
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
possessive form of “widow” — a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading THE ABDUCTION And many an old man’s sigh, and many a widow’s, And many an orphan’s water-standing eye— Men for their sons’, wives for their husbands’ fate, And orphans for their parents’ timeless death— Shall rue the hour that ever thou wert born.
performs some wicked deed
From this reading Infamous wretch!
Chapter 21 of Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees by Charles J. (Charles Jacobs) Peterson holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 21 holds 129 sentences of Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees by Charles J. (Charles Jacobs) Peterson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees by Charles J. (Charles Jacobs) Peterson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5018 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58846 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58846, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 418 minutes of reading across 1004 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Kate Aylesford: A Story of the Refugees, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
